Professor Marita McCabe

Biography

Marita McCabe is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Nursing and Allied Health at Swinburne University of Technology. She is a highly regarded academic who conducts theoretical and applied research in the areas of ageing, body image disorders, depression and sexual health. Professor McCabe has a significant publication record, with more than 400 refereed articles in these areas. In the last 10 years, her research has attracted more than $12 million in Category One funding. She is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) and a member of the Clinical, Health and Forensics Colleges of the APS.
Professor McCabe is strongly focussed on obtaining better outcomes for older people. For the past 20 years, she and her team have collaborated with aged care providers to address depression and the behavioural problems associated with dementia in both residential care and the community.
Currently, Professor McCabe is leading a NHMRC-funded project to evaluate a staff training program that guides the transition and implementation of Consumer Directed Care (CDC) in the residential aged care setting. A CDC approach to residential aged care will help ensure residents are provided with choice and control in their daily lives and in turn, improve their quality of life. This approach is also expected to promote staff job satisfaction by providing greater autonomy and more meaningful interactions with resident.